I'm surprised the retired windsurfing lifestyle folks in Baja, South Padre, Corpus, and Florida haven't jumped in the discussion. I retired 13 yrs ago and divide the year between The Gorge and La Ventana Baja. There are hundreds of retired windsurfers and kiters who spend the winters in Baja, most folks sailing well over 100 days during the winter season.

My guess is that mid 50's to well into the 70's is the average age, and these folks are living the windsurfing lifestyle. When the wind doesn't blow they're riding bikes, fishing, diving, kayaking, SUP'n, surfing, or playing volleyball. Living can be simple like the campground in La Ventana where 200-300 rigs are setup just steps from the water. Other folks have built homes and become part of the village community. It's not expensive to live here and Baja hasn't seen the drug/violent crime of the border areas.

The nice thing about Baja is that you can drive here. The majority of folks seem to be from the US and Canadian western states and provinces. A surprising number of people migrate back to the Gorge for the summer, so it seems like you see and sail with the same friends both north and south.

I've sailed both Corpus and South Padre and they have a similar group of windsurfers who are living the good life one jibe at a time. As for gear, get good gear if you budget allows it. If windsurfing is your passion and lifestyle, newer gear is much easier to sail and enjoy the good times on the water. You have to be a little adventurous to make windsurfing a retirement priority, but it can and is being done!! Join the crowd, that way some day when you really are "old", you won't wish you would have. Got to go...it's sunny, warm, and blowing 25!

Ahh retirement, I'd recommend it to anybody. I love it, and windsurfing anytime I want is heaven. Coming up is " Summer of Paul #5 " Hatteras, the gorge, maui , and Kauai , last year. Do it while you can, spend the money, get new gear ( sails anyways), you deserve it. As someone once said in a movie, the first 50 years are for everyone else, the next 50 years are for me!

Retirement simply means no longer having to work for a living, so now we can live to work ... but on our terms. Like most, I can honestly say that my energy expenditure (what remains of it ) is greater than ever (windsurfing, biking, kayaking, just jumping up and down for joy at the sheer pleasure of being alive), so get out there and join us!

The main campground in La Ventana is not full hookups...only water to most sites. They have three buildings with bathrooms & showers located behind the four rows of rigs. Gear is stored rigged and out of the sun; commonly Costco 10x20 sheds. The picture is just before sunset when the wind has back off for the day. Usually 4.7-5.2, except big El Norte days like yesterday 3.7-4.2...check windfinds post with pictures from yesterday in front of the campground.

The campground is run by the local village, but there are several other small private campgrounds, most with full hookups.

Looks like part time residences to me, not camping opportunities.
Gear? Who needs gear for 10 mph breezes?

Let's see. First of all a camping op to me would be a cirque filled with snow in the Alps. Second, I am retired, I confess, but for some reason I have not stopped working, and for that matter often hard. It was damn windy today on Cape Cod with rather balmy air temps. One of my 50 or so 40 foot pines snapped in two leaving me with a lot of sawing and clearing. (Let me ramble a bit, please, I am an old fart who has lost his concentration.) Consequently, I couldn't go out in the frigid, icy waters and sail like Josh Angula does. I guess I have this group, the Baja to Gorge types that don't post, as a peer group. Now to answer the question for us, I need gear for 10mph breezes. I'm certainly not going to do a lot of kicking and raise my arms trying to catch a ride.

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